Heating and cooling air conditioning system



1952 w. G. ZIMMERMAN 2,581,744

HEATING AND COOLING AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed June 2, i949 FIG.|

FIG.2

INVENTOR. WILLIAM G- ZIMMERMAN ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 8, 1952 5 A PATENT OFFICE HEATING AND COOLING AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM V g I William G. Zimmerman, Paynesville; Minn.

Application June 2, 1949, Serial No. 96,740

This invention relates to a combined heating and cooling system incorporating the reverse refrigeration cycle principle.

While it is true that certain combined heating and cooling units have-been used in the past, none of these has been adapted to successful use in the extreme climates of the northern states. It has been extremely diflicult to. provide a. system which will supply sufiicient heat to permit effective heating in the winter without providing a system which will have excessive cooling ca-' pacity in the summer. r I

It is an object of my invention to provide a novel and improved ,relatively simple combined heating and cooling system particularly adapted for use'in extreme climates.

It is another object to provide a combined heating and cooling air conditioning system using a split heat transfer coil arrangement so that considerably more heating than cooling capacity is provided. a s

More specifically, it is an object to provide a heating and cooling system adapted to work in combination with a reverse cycle refrigeration arrangement which supplies refrigerant to said system through-Ia plurality of control valves and expansion valves which-are adapted to selectively heat and cool a room or building-the heat transfer coils of the system being splitinto-tw'o parts to provide substantially more heating than cooling capacity to permit successful use in extremely cold climates.

It is a further object. toprovide a split heat transfer coil structure submerged in a tank through which water is continuously circulated.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide a split heat transfer coil buried below the ground surface and adapted to receive heat therefrom or to give off heat thereto depending uponthe direction of--fiowof the refrigerant therethrough to permit greater heating than cooling capacity for thesystemqs These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appearfrpm the following description "made "int'connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which;

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view of my improved air conditioning system, and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view of an alternative form of heat transfer coil shown embedded below the ground surface.

As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, a pair of liquid tanks 5, which could, of course, be made l in the form of a single tank, is provided. Two

sets or banks of tubular coils Band 1, each comprising a plurality of coils 6a and la, are re spectively submerged in the tanks 5, and one end of each individual coil is connected with a suitable refrigerant manifold conduit 8. A refrigerant collection manifold conduit 9 is connected to the other ends of the coils 5a in bank 6 and has as a closed end 9a.

A compressor Ill is provided having a suction inlet conduit II and discharge outlet conduit l2 connected therewith. The outlet conduit I2 is connected with refrigerant conduit 8 by a cooling supply conduit [3- with a valve M interposed therein. The suction conduit I I is connected with refrigerant conduit 8 by a heating return conduit l5 which has a valve l6 interposed therein, An air conditioning heat transfer unit H in the form shown has a refrigerant carrying heat transfer core and a pair of refrigerant carrying openings'l8 and l9. A heating supply conduit in-. terconnects the compressor. discharge l2 with the core opening l8, and a valve 2| is interposed in said conduit 20. A cooling return conduit 22 interconnects suction conduit II with opening l8, and a valve 23 is interposed in said conduit 22;

: The opening I9 is connected with the collection manifold 9, and a shut off valve 24 and thermostatic expansion valve 25 are interposed in series in's'aid conduit 9. A heating coil-supply conduit 26" interconnects opening l9 with a pair of thermostatic expansion valves 2.! and 28 which respectively supply the two banks of coils 6 and 1 through the capillary tube's'6b and lb respectively. A pair-of. shut-off valves 29 and 39 and interposed into the conduit 26 to control the flow throughthe respective expansion valves '21 and 28, and a shut-off valve 3| is interposed into'the manifold conduit 8 between coils 6 and coils l. The system is set up in the following'manner for the heating cycle; Valves I6, 2|; 29, 30 and ,3! are opened,- and the valves l4, 23, and 24 are al'l' clos'ed. This permits the refrigerant gas to flow from-the compressor I!) through conduit 12, valve'* 2l, conduit-20,---and opening l8 to the air conditioning heat transfer core 11.

the compressor through manifold conduit 8 and suction conduit I l to the compressor l0.

It should be noted that the tanks 5 have water as from a pump or suitable source of supply constantly circulating therethrough during the operation of the system. The tanks are respectively supplied with water from the supply pipes 32 and 33, which receive water from the main supply line 34 having a shut-off valve 35, and the outlet pipe 36 is disposed a predetermined distance above the tank bottoms to maintain a predetermined water level therein and carries the overflow water away from said tanks. The warm further heats the same by compression thereof.

The coils 6 and 1 act as an evaporator during this heating cycle.

During the cooling cycle the valves 16, 2i 29, 36 and 3| are closed, and the valves [4,- 23 and 2e are opened'so that the hot compressed gas from compressor discharge conduit 12 flows downwardly through supply conduit l3, manifold conduit 8, and into the other bank of coils 6 which serves as a condenser, and from said coils the condensed gas travels into the conduit 9 through open valve 24 and thermostatic expansion valve 25 and into the opening IQ of the air conditioning heat exchanger I] which serves as an evaporator to' cool the air blown therethrough by fan 31. Evaporated gas passes out through opening lilint'o conduit 22 and back into the compressor Hlth'rough conduit I l. The relatively cold circulating water in the tank 5 sur-. rounding the bank or coils B 'cools the warm compressed gas and-condenses the same to provide more eflicient cooling in the air conditioning unit 11 during evaporation therein. The form of heat-transfer coils illustrated in Fig. 1 will be a designated as form A of the invention.

The form of coils illustrated in 2 will be designated as :form :13 of the invention, and in this form the coils will be designated by the numeral. These coils '38 are arranged in a pair of banks similar to banks 6 and 1 with the transfer coil. units, any desired relation may be maintained. between the heating and cooling capacity of the system and also that by circulating the watersuch as well water through the tanks 5.. the capacity of the coils therein to transfer or receive heat is considerably increased, and therefore the efliciency of the system is materially increased by said circulating water.

It will be seen that I have provided a relatively I simple heating and cooling air conditioning system incorporating a reverse cycle refrigeration arrangement. The split coil arrangement permits a highly eflicient system to be provided for extremely cold climates where the variation in degrees from summer to winter is as much as This feature in combination with the highly effective heat transfer system afiorded by the circulating water around the coils shown in form A of the invention permits successful operation of my system in climates where previously designed systems have not proved satisfactory. In form B of the invention, the coil 38 must be of considerably longer length and heat transfer capacity than those used in form A of the invention which are surrounded by circulating water, but if sufficient heat transfer capacity is provided by the coils 38, this form will also work satisfactorily with my split coil arrangement in the extreme climates.

It WilL-of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, ararangemen-t and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is: x

A heating and cooling system for varying air temperatures, said system comprising a pair of heat transfer .units, one of said heat transfer units being divided into two sections and the other serving as an air conditioning unit, a re verse cycle refrigeration system having said heat transfer. unitsdirectly connected therein, a line structure running from said air conditioning unit tosaid two sections of the otherxheat transfer unit, means for expanding the gas running through said line structure, a second line structure running from one section of said heat trans fer unit to the other heat transfer unit and hav ing thermostatic expansion means interposed therein, said air conditioning unit acting :as a condenser in said system durin the heatin cycle and as an evaporator during the coolin ycle. both sections of said other heat transfer unit serving as an evaporator d rin he hea in cycle and only one section serving as a condenser during the cooling cycle. a body of circulating liquid surrounding-both sec ions f aid as men tioned heat transfer and valve means for controlling the cycle of operation of said system.

WILLIAM G. ZIIVLMERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'IENI'S 

